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In The News

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

UC, CSU to start loan program for students who entered the country illegally

California public university students who can't take out federal loans because of their immigration status soon will be able to borrow from their colleges instead. Supported by UC and CSU and signed by the Governor Sunday, Senate Bill 1210 has established the California Dream Loan Program, which is expected to have up to 3,000 borrowers in its first year.

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have made kindergarten mandatory while at the same time signing one intended to show the overwhelming boost that optional year gives kids headed to first grade. It has been a busy few days for the governor, reviewing hundreds of pieces of legislation – including a stack of education bills – requiring his approval by the end of today. Those he signed into law over the weekend and Monday include one that removes “willful defiance” as a reason to suspend or expel a student, and another that adds sex trafficking prevention education to the K-12 health curriculum.

As many as 100,000 California students from families with incomes up to $150,000 a year could receive a new state-funded scholarship to attend a UC or California State University campus this year. The number could have been even higher — 156,000 according to a preliminary estimate. But many students who might have qualified for the new Middle Class Scholarship did not apply before the March 2 deadline, perhaps because they were unaware.